Stratford Graduation

Here I am! Professor Eve. I get to wear the little hood thing because of my MFA. BUT--I want the floppy hat. I heard that Stratford can't hire me as a full-time professor--(even though I teach 4 to 5 classes every quarter) because they need phds. So, I'm off to get my Phd because I want the floppy hat! And the benefits would be nice too.

I tried to subtly catch the crowd with my phone camera. The green hat you see belongs to Dr. Nuah. He is from Kenya, and studied in Russia. He is an amazingly intelligent doctor who works researching AIDS at GWU, and spends his evenings teaching young scholars at Stratford. He's a great man. And that is is his green floppy hat.

This is Sherrie. She lives as a single mother with her kids.
She has fought up through poverty after leaving her abusive husband and put herself through school and started a daycare business in her home. She is an amazing example of strength. I am gonna cry. I'm so proud of her!!

The tall guy in the blue robes is Chris Kyler. He has a family and a growing catering business.
He was a great student. I'm so proud of him!

3 of my favorite students. I've had Will and Georgette for at least 3 classes.
We've had some amazing discussions together.

I am finally telling people that I'm not coming back next quarter. It's incredibly difficult. But this is the right path for me. I'm excited to have found a doctoral program where I can combine my love of storytelling, teaching, students from all over the world, my love of current events and policy, and my need to make the world a better place. I want to assimilate my experiences and my different expertises into a resource that will help universities better empower the students who are from a wide variety of cultures and life experiences--instead of just catering to students who figured out the system back in 3rd grade. My students at Stratford come from many different continents and come from incredibly backgrounds. They are intelligent and hardworking and education needs to help them learn to express and respect their own intelligence.

So I'm happy to be moving on--but incredibly sad at what I will be leaving behind.